The Shitbird is the story of Colin McAllister, a seaman in the US Coast Guard, and a poor fit for the role at best. He’s an outsider, a stoner with a bad attitude and a smart mouth, a combo that often puts him on the wrong side of an ass-kicking. He only joined up because he was fresh out of options when he was expelled after a college party turned into a case of suspected arson. And when he finds the dead body of well-liked shipmate Fred Sobel on the far side of a minuscule Caribbean Island during a routine afternoon of R&R, his life immediately takes a turn for the worse. His shipmates—most of them, anyway—jump to the conclusion that he must be responsible. They want to take justice into their own hands and throw McAllister overboard in the dead of night, but the intervention of Fred’s closest friend—the popular Wade Lucas—keeps them at bay. Until, that is, McAllister's nemesis Dennis Hebert starts planting doubt in Lucas's mind. As Lucas’s allegiance wavers and tensions with the rest of the crew escalate, McAllister quickly finds himself in a very dark place. Once sure of his own innocence, now he's not so certain. If he's not careful, he'll end up just like Fred—and maybe bring the whole crew down with him.
 
Approx 300 pages
Paperback
To be published: September 15, 2026
ISBN: 979-8-90214-223-2
 
About Spencer Fleury
Spencer Fleury is the author of I Blame Myself But Also You and other stories (Malarkey Books, 2024) and How I’m Spending My Afterlife (Woodhall Press, 2021). He lives in San Francisco and Portugal.
 
Praise for The Shitbird
 
“FUN AS HELL!”
- Joshua Mohr, author of Saint the Terrifying
 
"In The Shitbird, Seaman McAllister doesn't know if he's more afraid to live or die, but either way, he's taking you with him. This book will suck you into its darkness and challenge everything you think you understand about the human condition. It is a thrilling exploration of a breaking (or perhaps broken?) psyche both reaching for and fighting against its own salvation."
- Stephanie Austin, author of Burn
 
"A body is found on a beach and what unfolds from there is part Chandleresque noir, part stoner existential comedy, and it's all good stuff.  Spencer Fleury handles death on the high seas like no other. The Shitbird is funny, brutal, bittersweet. Take this ride."
- Adam Van Winkle, author of Count the Dust, editor-in-chief at Cowboy Jamboree Press
 
"The Shitbird finds all the joy in making wrong decisions, over and over and over again."
- Aaron Burch, author of Tacoma